4 Ships Burned in Cilacap, Causes Still Being Investigated

Four ships caught fire at Pier 3 of the Cilacap Ocean Fisheries Harbor, Thursday evening. There were no fatalities.

KOMPAS/WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Four ships caught fire at the Samudera Cilacap Fisheries Port in Central Java, Thursday (4/25/2024) night. There were no casualties in the fire.

CILACAP, KOMPAS — Four ships caught fire while docked at Pier 3 of the Cilacap Ocean Fisheries Harbor, Central Java, Thursday (25/4/2024) evening. As of 22.41 WIB, extinguishing efforts were still ongoing. There were no casualties in this fire. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

"At 6:50 pm, we received information about a fire at Dock 3. However, at that time, the fire quickly spread and grew larger due to a fairly strong wind," said Imas Masriah, the head of Samudera Cilacap Fishery Port, while monitoring the extinguishing process in Cilacap on Thursday night.

Also read: Allegedly Triggered by Explosion, At Least 50 Ships Burned in Cilacap

Imas stated that the joint team immediately combed through the ship and moved it away from the row of other anchored ships. "The burning ship was immediately pulled (away) to secure other ships, coincidentally, there were many small boats moored," said Imas.

KOMPAS/WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Four ships caught fire at the Samudera Cilacap Fisheries Port in Central Java, Thursday (4/25/2024) night. There were no casualties in the fire.

Based on data collection, the four ships are the Ocean Diamond 1 with a GT of 27, the Mulia 16 with a GT of 50, the Abundant Yield 29, and the Jaya Strait 8. These ships usually search for tuna and are at sea for more than a month.

"Out of the four ships that caught fire, one is still burning. We are concerned that with the presence of freon and fuel, there is still a potential for it to catch fire again," he said.

Also read: Search for Ship Lost Contact Hampered by High Waves in Cilacap

According to Imas, there were 15 fire trucks from various elements, including firefighters, Basarnas, Cilacap power plant, and TNI/Polri. "Alhamdulillah, there were no casualties," she said.

The Chief of the Cilacap City Police Resort, Commissioner Ruruh Wicaksono, stated that of the four burnt ships, two are ready to sail tomorrow. His subordinates are still investigating the cause of the fire.

"That ship is currently anchored and there is also one that will set sail tomorrow. The sail approval letter has already been issued because there are two ships that want to depart. We are still investigating what activities were being carried out because we found that the fire had already gotten bigger," he explained.

KOMPAS/WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Four ships caught fire at the Samudera Cilacap Fisheries Port in Central Java, Thursday (4/25/2024) night. There were no casualties in the fire.

Parjo (55), a local fisherman, reported that the fire had already grown by around 6:30 pm or after sunset. "After sunset, a fire grew in the middle there, then people shouted about the fire and the burning boat was immediately moved away," said Parjo.

At the time of the incident, the weather was clear and he did not hear any explosion sound. "I have two small boats with a size of 10 GT, thank God they are safe," he said.

The incident of a burning ship in Cilacap has recurred. On May 3, 2022, at least 50 ships that were moored at the Wijayapura Dock, Cilacap, caught fire.